


Thunderstorms

by Elle82



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Age Play, Fluff, Frederick isn't being a dick for once, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mr Bear, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-01-25
Packaged: 2018-03-09 00:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3229523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elle82/pseuds/Elle82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a night away from his daddy Hannibal, little Will sees the softer side of Uncle Frederick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thunderstorms

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to telerafairlyreie and ter0rr for letting me play.
> 
> ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (the movie and song) belong to Disney - please don’t sue me! 
> 
> Also I’ve taken some liberties with Chilton’s background, assuming Raul Esparza’s Cuban American background.
> 
> As always, I'm on tumblr as puppyxtraining - drop by and say hi!

(References to what happened last time Will stayed with his uncle are explained in [telera's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/telera/pseuds/telera) fic [The Veggie Dinner](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1434442/chapters/6941414).)

 

...

 

“But I don’t wanna stay at Uncle Frederick’s!” Will whined. Hannibal glanced at the boy as he packed his overnight bag. He seemed either on the edge of tears of sadness or was about to throw an almighty tantrum. 

 

“It’s only for one night, Will. And look, I’m packing all your favourite things – Mr Bear, your puppy pyjamas, your favourite pacifier-“

 

“I don’t care, I don’t want to stay there without Matty!”

 

Will crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his bottom lip out. Hannibal sighed. He had been called to fill in last minute as a presenter at a psychiatry symposium in New York City. The honour was one that he did not want to turn down, but it was not possible to bring Will with him either. 

 

Jack had made plans for a romantic getaway with Bella, and Bedelia was out of town visiting friends. The only option left was Frederick Chilton. 

 

Hannibal had called up prior to him breaking the news to Will, and it took some cajoling and a bottle of Hannibal’s finest vintage pinot grigio to convince Frederick to look after Will for one night. 

 

_“Matty’s not going to be here, you know. So I don’t really know what you expect me to do with your boy. He’s going to be bored.”_

 

_“Where is Matthew going? Have you finally sent him away, like you’ve threatened so often?”_

 

_Chilton snorted over the phone._

 

“ _Hmph. No. He’s going to Bar Harbor for a camping trip with some friends. In all honesty, it’s good for him to have a little break. For both of us. And now you want me to look after Will. This will cost you, Hannibal.”_

 

Hannibal looked back at Will, and moved to sit next to him on the bed. He placed his arm around the boy and kissed the top of his head. 

 

“Tell me why you don’t want to go, Will.”

 

“Uncle Frederick is mean to me. He teases me and calls me a baby. And he…he does mean things to me.” Will recalled the last time he had stayed with his uncle and cousin. 

 

“Will darling, I have spoken to your uncle about what happened. It won’t happen again.”

 

Will sniffled as Hannibal gently took his chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

 

“You promise, daddy?”

 

“I promise, my dear boy.”

 

Will sighed and uncrossed his arms, flinging them around his daddy’s neck and giving him a hug. 

 

“There’s my darling boy. I’ll only be gone one night, and I’ll bring you back a present from New York.”

 

Will brightened at the idea of a gift.

 

“What will you bring me back, daddy?”

 

“It will be a surprise Will. Now, why don’t you pick out some books and DVD’s to take with you.”

 

…

 

It was just after lunch when Hannibal pulled up to Frederick’s house. Will had purposefully eaten his sandwich and drunk his juice slowly, as if to delay the inevitable. Hannibal was careful not to push him, but didn’t want to be late either. 

 

“Daddy, did I forget Mr Bear? Maybe we should go home and get him?” Will asked as they walked up the steps to the front door. Hannibal opened Will’s bag and popped Mr Bear’s head out of the opening. 

 

“He’s here Will, along with all your things. Do you want to push the doorbell?”

 

Will shook his head and Hannibal sighed, pressing it himself.Will moved closer to his daddy, almost clinging to him as he brought his thumbnail up to his mouth. 

 

“Will, please don’t chew on your thumb like that.”

 

Will removed it just as the door opened. 

 

“Ah, Hannibal, Will, come in.”

 

“Thank you, Frederick. Although I can’t stay, I hate to just drop Will off and leave.”

 

Frederick waved off Hannibal with his hand. 

 

“It’s fine, go on, you don’t want to be late for your lecture or whatever it is. “

 

Hannibal handed the bag to Will and hugged him tight. 

 

“Now Will, I expect you to be perfectly polite to your Uncle. Bedtime is at 8pm and I will see you tomorrow.”

 

Will’s lower lip trembled. 

 

“Daddy, don’t go. Please.”

 

Frederick rolled his eyes.

 

“I must, Will. But I know you’ll be a brave boy, and before you know it I’ll be back to pick you up. Can you be brave for me?”

 

Will nodded as a lone tear slid down his cheek. Hannibal took out his handkerchief and wiped it away, before pressing the piece of cloth into Will’s hand. 

 

“Look after this for daddy, until I return. Frederick, thank you very much for helping out the last minute. He’s already had a bath today so you don’t need to worry about that. And you have my phone number, should you need to reach me.”

 

“Yes, yes Hannibal. The boy will be fine, won’t you Will?”

 

Will swallowed and nodded, before giving his daddy a small, sad wave. 

 

Hannibal waved back, then drove off towards New York. 

 

“Well, are you coming in or are you planning on standing there until your daddy comes back, Willy-wuss?”

 

Will sighed and trudged inside, glancing over his shoulder and watching his daddy’s car disappear down the street.

 

…

 

 

The afternoon was spent with Will planted in front of the television in Frederick’s plush living room, watching one of the DVD’s he had brought with him. It was ‘Beauty and the Beast’, one of Will’s favourites. 

 

Frederick sat nearby, typing away at his laptop, occasionally glancing over at the boy. He had been warned, and punished accordingly, for messing with Hannibal’s boy not long ago. Frederick’s cheeks reddened at the memory, but wondered if it would be worth it to push Hannibal again by toying with Will like he had. 

 

No, the humiliation, though pleasant at times, was enough to last him for a little while. And it had taken him some time to recover physically from the last time, so he would play it safe. This time. 

 

“Uncle Frederick, may I have a drink…please?” Will asked, breaking Frederick’s concentration. 

 

“Sure. You know where the fridge is. There should be a bottle of apple juice in there.”

 

Will bit his lower lip and did not move.Frederick sighed but didn’t look up from his screen.

 

“What is it, Will?”

 

“Daddy usually doesn’t let me pour my own drink.”

 

“Well, you’re in my house Will. I’m sure you can manage to pour a glass of juice by yourself.”

 

Will furrowed his brow but did what his uncle told him to. He found one of Matty’s plastic cups and very slowly and very carefully poured himself a cup.

 

When he returned to the couch, he took a long drink, holding the cup with both hands. 

 

“See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

 

Will shook his head and placed the cup on the coffee table in front of him. 

 

It wasn’t long before Will started to get tired. He glanced over at his uncle, who was still absorbed in whatever was on his computer. So Will toed off his shoes and curled up on the couch, only meaning to rest his eyes for a bit as Mrs Potts and Chip danced across the screen. 

 

…

 

When he woke, the television was off, it was night and the only light came from a floor lamp at the other end of the room. Will rubbed his eyes and looked around, remembering that he was at his uncle’s house, and not his own. 

 

He could hear noises coming from the kitchen. Was he supposed to go through, or stay where he was? Will padded towards the kitchen, but stopped just before the doorway when he thought he heard singing. It was Uncle Frederick. 

 

_‘Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly._

 

_Just a little change, small to say the least, both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast.’_

 

Will moved closer into the kitchen, watching his uncle prepare dinner while he sang. He stopped when he saw Will and cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed. 

 

“Oh. Will. You’re awake. I thought you were going to sleep all night.”

 

“You know ‘Beauty and the Beast’?” Will asked, incredulous. 

 

“Of course. Matty watches it all the time. On repeat too sometimes. Those damn annoying songs get stuck in my head.”

 

“You have a nice voice, Uncle Frederick.”

 

“Yes, well. Thanks. I guess. Are you hungry, Will? Your daddy gave me a run down over the phone on what you could and couldn’t eat. And since I didn’t have time to get to the store, I figured maybe it was safer to stick to breakfast for dinner.”

 

Frederick motioned for Will to sit up at the breakfast bar, and placed a stack of blueberry pancakes in front of him, with a bottle of maple syrup to the side. 

 

Will’s eyes went wide. 

 

“Pancakes? For dinner?!”

 

Frederick couldn’t help a small smile at the boy’s disbelief. 

 

“Why not? And don’t worry, I’ll tell your daddy they’re made from whole wheat flour, free range eggs, organic milk and farm fresh blueberries. Oh, and the maple syrup is organic too.”

 

Frederick came around to sit next to Will with his own stack of pancakes. When Will poured a small amount of syrup on his stack, Frederick grabbed the bottle and poured more out. 

 

“If you like syrup, Willy-wuss, just put as much as you want on. I won’t bite your head off.”

 

Will dug in. The pancakes were delicious and he hadn’t realised how hungry he really was. Soon his face and hands were sticky from the syrup, and he was full and sleepy again. 

 

Frederick cleared the plates and passed Will a damp paper towel to clean his hands and face with. Usually his daddy would clean his face after dinner, but here Will was expected to do it himself. 

 

Will watched as Frederick cleaned up, limping across the kitchen as he didn’t tend to use his cane a lot at home. When Frederick was done, he wiped his hands on a tea towel and looked at Will. 

 

“Well, it’s just about your bedtime Will. I’ll show you to your room.”

 

Will jumped off the stool and went to get his bag from by the couch, where he had left it. He followed his uncle up the stairs, passed Matty’s room and to a small, neat guest room with an en suite at the end of the hall. 

 

“I trust you can put your pyjamas on by yourself, Will. Brush your teeth and I’ll be back in to say goodnight in a minute.”

 

Will looked around the room. It was very white and very clean. There were strange pictures on the walls, of funny shapes in different colours. Will went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth carefully with his Winnie the Pooh toothbrush. He pulled his puppy pyjamas and Mr Bear out of his bag and took his clothes off. The buttons on the pyjama top were a bit tricky, but slowly and surely, he got them all fastened. 

 

Will was about to climb into the bed when his uncle returned. 

 

“Right, well, have you brushed your teeth?”

 

Will nodded and sat on the made bed. 

 

“Well…do you…do you want to climb in then?”

 

Will stood up while Frederick pulled back the covers, motioning for Will to climb in. 

 

“You know where the bathroom is, and my room is down the hall if you need anything.” 

 

Frederick pulled the covers up as Will lay there, clutching his bear. 

 

“Goodnight, Uncle Frederick. Thank you for breakfast for dinner.”

 

“You’re welcome Will.”

 

He went to turn the light off when Will sat up slightly.

 

“Um, Uncle Frederick?”

 

“Yes, Will?”

 

“Can you…um…can you leave a light on a bit?”

 

Frederick sighed and fiddled with the dimmer switch. 

 

“Is that okay?”

 

Will nodded.

 

“Goodnight Will.”

 

“G’night.”

 

…

 

There was a sudden crash, a bang and the whole room lit up like daytime. Will’s eyes shot open just as the light disappeared and a loud rumble came from outside.

 

It took Will a second to adjust his eyes to his surroundings, and he realised he wasn’t in his room in his house. He was somewhere strange and he began to panic. 

 

“Da…daddy?!” Will called. He was answered with another bright flash and a loud crash. 

 

“DADDY!” 

 

…

 

Frederick’s exes (not that there had been many) had all commented on the fact that the man could sleep through an earthquake. Not much could rouse him once he was fast asleep. 

 

So it was with a start that he woke to the thunderstorm that raged outside and the distressed cries of not Matty, but Will, from down the hall. 

 

Tossing back the covers, Frederick rubbed his eyes. As he approached the guest room, he could hear crying. Not soft sobs either, but loud, painful wailing. 

 

The thunder and lightening continued outside as he entered the room to find Will huddled up in the middle of the bed, under the covers. 

 

Frederick sighed. Matty was such a different boy to Will. More mature and grown up, there was very little that scared Matty, though he had his moments when he needed comfort from his daddy. Frederick sometimes missed these moments, they were few and far between, and although he liked people to think he was a serious, respected hospital administrator, he was indeed capable of warmth and tenderness. 

 

“Will? Will, what’s wrong?”

 

Frederick slowly pulled back the quilt covers and sat down on the bed next to Will, gently reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. 

 

“C’mon, Will. It’s just a thunderstorm. Is that what’s got you so frightened? It’s just a little thunder and lightning!”

 

At that moment, a particularly loud clap of thunder exploded outside and Will jumped. With his eyes shut, he launched himself at Frederick and flung his arms around him, crying. 

 

For a split second, Frederick didn’t know what to do. His stomach throbbed at the weight of the boy on his lap, but he didn’t have the heart to push him away. 

 

“Oh Will. Dear Will. Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

 

Will continued to cry as he buried his face in the crook of Frederick’s neck. He smelled different to his own daddy. Not bad different, just different. Like soft, clean cotton instead of exotic spices. 

 

“Shhh shh, pequeño. I’ve got you. The thunder won’t hurt you.”

 

But Will kept on crying. 

 

“I….I want….I want my daddy!”

 

Frederick glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was 2:16am, much too late for a phone call. 

 

“It’s very late, Will. C’mon, the storm will pass. Do you want Mr Bear? Or…do…did you bring your pacifier?”

 

Will nodded into his chest, and with some difficulty, Frederick managed to grab Mr Bear from the other side of the bed and reach the pacifier from the overnight bag on the floor.

 

Will took the bear and held it to his chest.Frederick removed the cover from Will’s pacifier and gently placed it against Will’s lips. The boy seemed apprehensive, remembering the times when his uncle had teased him for being such a baby, and relying on a pacifier and a plushie for comfort. 

 

Sensing his apprehension, Frederick tried a smile. 

 

“It’s okay, Will. Open up.”

 

Will obeyed and took the pacifier into his mouth, sucking it hard at first and finding a comforting rhythm soon enough. He sighed and sniffled a little, seeming to calm, when another clap of thunder made his body stiffen and caused him to bury his face in Frederick’s chest. A fresh set of tears followed. 

 

Frederick sighed, and moved so he was in a more comfortable position. He rubbed Will’s back and tried to make soothing noises. 

 

The rain drove hard against the window in the guest room and Will continued to cry. Frederick yawned. He was tired and the storm didn’t seem to be letting up. So he tried something new. 

 

_‘Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.’_

 

Will’s cries softened, and he gave a small yawn around the pacifier. He looked up at his uncle while he continued to sing. 

 

‘ _Certain as the sun, rising in the east, tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast._

 

_Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast,’_

 

Frederick continued to sing the song as Will closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before his breathing evened out, and the pacifier lay still between his lips, save a few sucks now and then. 

 

The storm had passed, however it was still raining, the pitter-patter against the windowpane more comforting now than frightening. 

 

Frederick didn’t want to risk moving and waking Will up. He sighed and he felt that familiar pinch in his stomach. Will shifted slightly and mumbled something in his sleep. 

 

“Love you, ‘ncle Fredrick…”

 

Frederick smiled in the dark and kissed Will on the top of his head before closing his eyes.

 

“Love you too, Will.”

 

…

 

Hannibal rang the doorbell, expecting his boy to come running to the door. It was just before midday the next day, and Hannibal had left New York after breakfast to make good time on his return to Baltimore. 

 

Frederick opened the door, looking tired but relaxed. 

 

“Good morning Hannibal.”

 

“Good morning Frederick. Where’s Will?”

 

“Oh yes, we’re fine thanks, Hannibal. Thanks for asking. And how are you?”

 

Frederick stepped aside to let Hannibal in. 

 

“Forgive me, Frederick. I’m anxious to see him.” Hannibal said with a small laugh. 

 

“He’s in the kitchen, helping me with lunch. You’re just in time if you want to join us? There’s plenty to go around.”

 

The men walked through to the kitchen, where Will was sitting at the counter, carefully buttering some slices of bread. 

 

When his daddy walked in, Will jumped off his chair and ran towards him.

 

“Daddy!”

 

“Hello my dear boy! Oh, how I missed you Will.”

 

“I missed you too daddy.”

 

“You’re still in your pyjamas, Will?” Hannibal looked to Frederick for an explanation. Will usually only stayed in his pyjamas if he was sick. 

 

“Uh, yes, we had a late night last night Hannibal. Bit of a storm blew through and woke us up.”

 

“A storm? Are you okay, Will? You didn’t keep your Uncle Frederick awake, did you?”

 

“No daddy. Uncle Frederick sang to me and let me and Mr Bear cuddle with him. And now we’re making Cuban sandwiches! Come see daddy!”

 

Hannibal looked over at Frederick, who blushed slightly.

 

“Singing, Frederick? I didn’t know you could sing. And cuddling? What has my Will done to you?”

 

Frederick busied himself with getting the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge for the sandwiches. 

 

“Well, I did a bit of singing in college. And of course Matty is always watching these Disney musicals.” He didn’t address the cuddling and Hannibal didn’t press it. He had seen a rare side of Frederick, and regarded him with a satisfied smile. 

 

“Thank you again, Frederick, for looking after Will.”

 

“Anytime, Hannibal.”

 

 

 


End file.
